IATEFL ASSOCIATES’ FUNDING DOCUMENT

INTRODUCTION

Funding, or more likely, the lack of it, is a constant thorn in the side of NGOs. Even though we are considered non-profit or not-for-profit organizations, we need to have some start-up capital and a minimum income in order to publish our newsletters, maintain our websites and to organize our conferences. We are teachers and not business people and therefore we often find it hard to think and act in a business-like way. Having to always go cap in hand to the publishers, local businesses, the British Council and other aid organizations is also demeaning, even though we have a lot of skills and services that we can ( and do) quite legitimately sell. The other factor that hinders us from finding and applying for the funding opportunities is lack of time. It really does take a lot of time to research libraries and the Web; to have discussions with the possible stakeholders and then finally to draft and to write the grant proposal. This is time that we as teachers do not have, and money that the association does not have to employ somebody to do. If we were associations which dealt with the welfare of children, tried to eliminate poverty in a particular country, looked after the interests of HIV/Aids sufferers or campaigned for animal rights and the plight of the environment, then we would have a much better chance of attracting funding.

This document cannot, and does not, attempt to address the potential funding sources available in individual countries or even continents. That task is too country and situation-specific

CONTENT

What we have attempted to do though is to give you a broad overview of some of the larger organizations which operate internationally, as well as giving you some addresses to access where you might get some useful pointers with regards to writing grant proposals. There are also ideas for internal organizationsi.e in-country, which you could target.

Then Sara Hannam has compiled a section dealing with some of the funding which is available from the European Union.

Then, there will be some ideas for raising funds locally, which appeared in VOICES ( April 2008) on the Associates‘ page

And, lastly, Amol Padwad provides us with a case study of his association in India.

SOME ESSENTIAL THINGS TO REMEMBER

  • It is imperative that your association is legally registered and that all government requirements have been met e,g,. a legal address, bank account, tax number, if applicable,properly registered Board etc. These specifications differ from country to country. If you are not legally registered, it makes it nigh impossible to sign a contract with your organization.
  • It is also important to state in your statutes that your aims include running courses – both language and methodology, conferences, perhaps running a library and conducting pedagogical research etc. In some countries, if your statutes do not clearly state that you are able to run courses, then you will not be able to charge for them, nor would you get funding to run them.

Not paying attention to these details could mean that valuable opportunities are passed up simply because of some bureaucratic formalities.

  1. ABOUT NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS - International and Local

There are many books available which deal with the topic, but in our case, we will draw your attention to websites, which exist to help NGOs to diversify their sources of revenue and therefore to sustain themselves.

It is more than self-evident that teachers‘ associations cannot raise enough money from membership fees to cover the publication of newsletters, websites, rent, utilities or any secretarial expenses. We must find additional ways of generating income.

In all of the following sites, I found information that was of some use. The majority are free though you will probably have to register. Some materials and courses though are fee paying.

Most teachers‘ associations are not run in a very business-like way and if we learnt a lot more about managing information, volunteers, writing proposals for example, then we would leave a much more professional impression when we approached potential donors. This could only work in our favour.

This website contains information on a broad range of topics related to operating an NGO. The site contains information on how to do Web-based fundraising, staff training, donor information, management information, public relations, technology, and managing volunteers.

The Foundation Center

The FC’s website contains a broad array of fundraisig information, including donor directories, proposal writing guides, valuable tips on fundraising etc.

This site is an electronic fundraising resource for UK and European non-profit grantseekers.

CATEGORIES OF DONORS

There are many agencies which offer support for a wide variety of projects. The majority of these are not concerned with just education, but they might be worthwhile researching to see if there are projects which we could become attached to.

  • Official Development Assistance (ODA) Agencies

The majority of governments in the Northern Hemisphere operate agencies or departments – often housed in their embassies- that provide financial aid to NGOs and communicty-based organizations e.g. European Union ( EU) United States Agency of International Development (USAID)

The website provides detailed information on each of the agencies geographic and programme priorities and application procedures.

The Department of State ( formally USIS) is also an agency that most of us are familiar with. Through the Public Affairs Officer (PAO) of the US embassy it is possible to obtain copies of Forum magazine for association members, to get speakers for conferences or to arrange video-conferences, and/or presenters for insett courses which can help raise funds for the association. It is also possible to become a part of the book recycling programme, where the association sells books to teachers, raising funds from the profit margin. ( The books are very cheap) On an individual basis it is possible to get scholarships and grants for teachers to visit the United States.

Also, some embassies also manage small grants programmes out of the office of the Ambassador or community relations unit. These are definitely worth investigating.

  • United Nations Agencies

Since many governments contribute to the operations of the United Nations Agencies it is worth reseaching these as many of them work closely with NGOs. Some of these agencies are: United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund ( UNICEF), United Nations Developmet Programme(UNDP),United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

This site contains details of the geographical and programme priorities of the UNDP.

  • Multilateral Development Banks

While the primary purpose of these banks is to provide loans and policy advice to their client governments, often their local country offices make small grants to NGOs and community-based organizations. E.g. African Development bank, Asia Development bank, World Bank, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

This site provides extensive information on how NGOs can work in partnership with the World Bank, though this is mostly done through government ministries and agencies.

  • International Foundations

Foundations are independent entities in the business of making grants to NGOs and community –based organizations. They derive their income perhaps from an endowment, a wealthy benefactor, a corporation, or constant fundraising.

Many associations would have received grants from the Soros Foundation

( ) or Open Society, and the Aga Khan Foundation.

The Soros Foundation, (which I know very well) certainly, when it first sets up in a country, encouraging development of the English language is a priority. They will fund travel to conferences and courses. They have been known to help set up teachers‘ associations and to pay for rent, equipement and staff. They will fund conferences and in-country teachers‘ courses, which enable associations to raise much-needed funds. This support is gradually reduced as it is expected that the association works towards developing a sustainable source of income. The Soros Foundation has been the life-line of many an association.

There are, of course, many other global corporations, international non-governmental organizations and international church-based or religious organizations which could also be worthwhile approaching depending on the context. When countries first „open“ up and are being courted by the West

( or the East as the case may go) then funding can come from all sorts of unlikely sources.

LOCAL FUNDING SOURCES

In addition, to the above insitutions, it is important not to overlook in-country funding sources.

  • Government sources e.g. ministries and local municipalities
  • Local businesses e.g. banks, large manufacturing companies etc as well as the local susidiaries or partners of multi-national corporations.
  • Local independent foundations and trusts
  • Service clubs and membership associations e.g. Rotary International and Lions Clubs, Zonta, chambers of commerce representing various countries
  • Community Foundations – these are independent, grant making organizations which get their funds from a variety of sources, including the general public. They are usually concerned with improving the quality of life of specific segments of the community in a limited geographical area.

Once a potential donor has been identified, then the next step is to research their activities: priorities, geographical and programme, and their applications procedures. Libraries and embassies are the obvious choice as there you can often talk to people directly about your project or thoughts, but online research can yield a lot of useful preliminary information.

**** A very useful document available on the web is:

A Grant Seekers Guide to the Internet:Revised – Grant and Sonenberg, which outlines how the Web can successfully be used to identify funding resources. This document can be accessed at:

PITFALLS

I have kept using the word projects as it is very difficult to get money for doing nothing. In many parts of the world, the British Council, The State Department and the Soros Foundation, the traditional sources of funding for the majority of associations are moving away into new territories.

New and emerging associations in Central Asia and Africa,in particular, over the next few years will enjoy the benefits of increased attention and funding, but the key word will always be SUSTAINABILITY. Can the organization survive and generate its own funds in order to finance the activities that it considers important?

It is very important to plan right from the beginning for the day when the funding will run out.

Do not make the mistake of making everything for free for your members. Insist that some sort of fee is paid, otherwise people very quickly get used to getting something for nothing. When the money dries up from the external funding sources, you will have a very difficult time convincing members that they have to pay a „real’ price for the course, conference or membership fee.

  • If you get involved in a project, take especial care to see that your association gets some tangible benefits from the work that you do i.e. rental costs covered, telephone/web mainataince costs, wages for association members for work done, be it secretarial or materials writing or conducting a workshop or writing a report.
  • It is imperative to have a competent accountant who can deal with the stringent accounting complexities demanded by many donors.

Whether it is English courses for judges or teachers of other subjects, writing materials for various courses, developing courses, proofreading, researching, conducting surveys etc. the project, where possible, should be structured so that the association as an entity benefits in some capacity.

Silvija Andernovics

2. EUROPEAN UNION SOURCES OF FUNDING

It is a sad fact that locating adequate funding is one of the major problems facing Teachers’ Associations across the globe – anyone who has ever worked in a voluntary organization will know this and will no doubt have had to come up with a whole range of creative solutions to address this problem. It is also true that the money available for educational purposes in different parts of the world varies dramatically, and that there is far more available money in the Europe-wide area. This document will outline a number of possible sources of funding for different purposes, giving as much detail as possible about the sources themselves, as well as the steps that need to be taken by the individual/organization wishing to apply. My hope is that an increased number of IATEFL Associate members will be able to attend either the yearly conference or any of the other IATEFL events located around the world through the year as a result of applying for these funds or local TAs will be able to initiate specific projects to enhance their function within the locality or region.

I would also like to stress that this information is by no means exhaustive and is based only on what I was able to locate during a short period of research for this document. There are likely many other sources of funding out there which I do not know about. Anyone who would like to make additions to this list can contact me on the same address. I am particularly interested in expanding information on any funding that covers non-European countries. For ease of reference, the organizations are listed in alphabetical order.

Good luck with your applications!

All the best

Sara Hannam, Associates’ Coordinator, IATEFL

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Socrates Programme

(source: accessed: January 2008)

Socrates is the EU education programme which involves around 30 European countries. It supports European co-operation on a range of educational projects, initiatives and professional development, providing opportunities for all sectors, including schools, higher education and lifelong learning. Socrates spans the entire breadth of the UK's education system. It comprises a number of parts, or Actions, which aim to improve quality and strengthen the European dimension in education (those relevant to TAs are detailed below).

Socrates promotes European co-operation in all areas of education. This co-operation takes different forms: mobility (moving around Europe), organising joint projects, setting up European networks (sharing ideas and good practice), and conducting studies and comparative analyses. In practice, Socrates offers people grants to study, teach, undertake a placement or follow a training course in another country. It provides support for educational establishments to organise teaching projects and to exchange experiences. It helps various associations to organise activities on educational topics, etc. There is only one general rule: only activities which have a European dimension based on Europe-wide co-operation can receive financial assistance.

Socrates targets all forums of learning, ranging from nursery school to university. This includes adult education, which often involves more informal pathways. Those who can benefit from Socrates include:

  • Pupils during compulsory schooling, students, people of all ages who want to return to learning;
  • Teachers being trained or already working; administrative and managerial staff involved in education;
  • Educational establishments of all types;
  • External interested parties: civil servants and decision makers; local and regional authorities; parents' associations; the social partners; the business sector; associations and NGOs

Observation and Innovation

This Socrates action focuses on attempts to improve the quality and transparency of education systems in Europe. It also provides support for decision-makers and policy makers in the education sector. The European Commission supports a range of initiatives and operations under this action:

  • Analysis of education systems in the various European countries.
  • Comparison of education systems and policies (particularly through the Eurydice information network on education in Europe). Eurydice provides reliable, readily comparable information on national education systems and policies. It also acts as an observatory, highlighting both the diversity of systems and their common features.
  • Field visits to allow education professionals to expand their knowledge of policies, reforms and developments in other European countries (organised through the Arion programme).
  • Use of the Naric network of national centres for the academic recognition of qualifications and periods of learning carried out in other European countries.
  • Pilot projects, studies and seminars about issues of educational policy in a European context, e.g., evaluating quality in education or promoting adult education.
  • The organisation of initiatives dealing with particular topics, e.g., education and employment, teaching quality or more forward-looking debates about the future of education.

Joint Actions

Joint Actions focus on themes that, by their very nature, are not limited to one field alone, i.e., education, training or youth policy. The European Commission attempts to promote co-operation between its various programmes, i.e., Socrates, Leonardo Da Vinci, Culture 2000 and YOUTH programmes. In this way, an integrated approach for training, education and youth policy can be encouraged.

This integration can be pursued in two ways:

  • Proposals for joint projects common to the different programmes. Projects must cover at least two of three areas (education, training and youth policy).
  • Projects that meet the criteria of one programme but relate to common themes in other programmes.

Supplementary measures

The European Commission will also provide support for activities that are not formally part of any of the Socrates actions but which are still relevant to the aims of the programme. The support measures cover a wide range of activities:

  • Awareness-raising activities to promote co-operation in education (conferences and seminars)
  • Support for the dissemination of project results
  • Improving programme implementation by providing training in project management or in tackling obstacles
  • Forging links between the different actions of the programme
  • Targetting common aims, such as the promotion of equal opportunites and inter-cultural education

Grundtvig: for adult education and lifelong learning